We lost Roger Lloyd-Pack in 2014, and it still stings. He played the ultimate simple soul, Trigger—the guy with the "broom that had 17 new heads." He was a brilliant dramatic actor too, by the way. Check him out in The Vicar of Dibley if you haven’t. He was so much more than a broom-obsessed road sweeper.
And John Challis? He passed last year, but he lived life to the full. He wrote books, toured with a one-man show about Boycie, and loved meeting fans. I once saw a video of him signing autographs for three hours straight. No security, no rush—just pure class.
What About the Ladies?
Let’s not forget the women who held the show together. Gwyneth Strong (Cassandra) is still acting in soaps like EastEnders, and she’s brilliant. She’s the one who made Rodney’s romantic moments feel real, even when he was wearing a woolly hat indoors.
Tessa Peake-Jones (Raquel) is a bit different. She’s done loads of theatre and recently appeared in Doc Martin. She’s said she loved playing Raquel because she was "the sensible one in a den of lunatics." Which is basically the job description for every long-suffering partner, right?
Only Fools And Horses Cast Then And Now - YouTube
The Horses: The Actual Horses
Okay, side note: the trotter horses from the show? They’re mostly living the good life at rescue farms. One of them, Trigger’s horse, was named "Hero" and lived until 2018. I love that the cast now includes actual horses with better retirement plans than most of us.
